and Chance the Rapper top our picks of best Colorado shows this week. We’ll be seeing you there, and if you don’t make it out, follow the music musings and our
5) The Pack A.D. — Hi-Dive, April 11
Raw, rough and loud, the makes music that you wouldn’t expect of a two piece. Think early Black Keys, but with more attitude. The band’s video for “Battering Ram,” which has the ladies fighting in a dingy bar, embodies the Pack A.D. spirit — with maybe slightly more violence. We , about the video ahead of the Pack A.D.’s show at the Hi-Dive on April 11.
4) Tinariwen — Bluebird Theater, April 11
The last week has seen a number of well-respected Tuareg musicians come through Denver. On April 8, , and on April 11 plays the Bluebird Theater. Based in thick, deep grooves and quick, clacking percussion, Tinariwen plays the music of the Sahara, with space spreading out of every note. The Grammy Award-winning musicians mix traditional instrumentation with drifting and heavy electric guitar riffs. You could call it world music, but that feels like a quick way to pigeonhole such a unique act.
3) Shakey Graves — Hi-Dive & Larimer Lounge, April 16-17
Though he’s originally from Texas, seems to have found a second home in Colorado. His back porch, high country sound, lo-fi production and spacious lyricism has caught on with the state’s new-country tastes. To appease his fan base in the state, Alejandro Rose-Garcia will play two consecutive shows this week. First he plays Larimer Lounge on April 16 and the following night at the Hi-Dive — both of which are sold out.
2) Chance the Rapper — Ogden Theatre, April 16
Without the help of a record label, Chance the Rapper has released two albums, and his most recent has been downloaded more than 600,000 times on DatPiff.com. His headlining tour has him performing at the Ogden Theatre on April 16 and then to most major festivals this summer. He’s been featured in Billboard Magazine, named one of the top 10 rappers to watch — and never made his fans pay a cent for his music. How’d he do it? The 20-year-old Chicago rapper understands the Internet and the power of free and easily shareable music. Chance the Rapper’s biggest headlining Denver show to date on April 16 won’t be his last, and they’ll only keep getting bigger. ($35, axs.com)
1) Phantogram — Ogden Theatre, April 15
Phantogram had no trouble outgrowing the Gothic Theatre for the larger Ogden Theatre within seven months. In October the electro-pop band sold out the Gothic before fans even had a chance to listen to its new, sophomore album, “Voices.” For more than a week, the band’s Ogden show on April 15 has been sold out — certainly due to the strength of its second LP. Drenched in shadows, lit with bright and catchy choruses and driven by hip-hop influenced beats, the duo’s music grabs the best of a wide breadth of genres. Itap a band that draws in a scattered iPod-browsing generation, and does so in droves.
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